PHILADELPHIA
INTRODUCTION
Philadelphia, the sixth of the seven Churches of Revelation. The sixth period of Church history on the road to the present times.
Another sermon on the Church of Philadelphia can be found here.
· We come to the sixth of the seven Churches of Revelation
· The Sixth historical Church in which a letter written is given to present to the angel of the Church of Philadelphia.
· The Sixth Church in the physical circuit as taken from Patmos, where John was, first to Ephesus, then Smyrna, Then Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis and now to Philadelphia before concluding in Laodicea.
· Philadelphia also representing the Sixth Church Period of history to date, a period dominated by the Gospel and missionary zeal around the world through which we today remain the beneficiaries. The Philadelphian Church type followed the Reformation period identified by the Church of Sardis, where nothing good was reported by the Lord, and It precedes the last Church period, identified by the Church of Laodicea where again, nothing good is spoken of by the Lord.
· Philadelphia also represents the Sixth type of Christian that may find himself in any of the types of Churches noted before
· And we will find in our final summary of the Seven Churches that, Philadelphia may be identified as a stage a Christian might go through in his walk with the Lord. A time in life where a true and earnest desire for the Gospel of Christ is committed in his life to share with all he can. Was that you? Is that you? Will that be you? Will that be you AGAIN?
The first NAME of this City was Philadelphia. Today it has a new name.
YOU have your first name. If you are born again, you will be given a new name.
The name you have now was likely given you by those who gave you this life.
The name you will have in heaven will be the name given you by him who gave you eternal life.
Who is he?
His is the name above all names
This sixth Church type of Philadelphia is praised for its works. It is not a large Church, it is of little strength, but it has BOTH kept his word AND not denied the NAME of the one whose name is above all names.
Some 17 years ago, I began in earnest to find a Church that was like this Church of Philadelphia. I was not looking for a perfect Church, but I was looking for a Church which kept God’s word as its focus.
I had experienced the type of Church that was coming into prominence in the world and I found it completely lacking in anything of substance, nothing of value.
It thought it was great, “rich and increased with goods, having need of nothing”. And without the eternal word of God as its daily bread, it had no idea that it was “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind , and naked”.
That Church was so malnourished it had no idea it was even hungry.
The Lord made clear to me that there are faithful Churches out there, I just needed to know what I was looking for. I did. I was looking for a Church that keeps God’s word and would not deny my Lord’s name.
And I found one, Faith Baptist Church in Fawkner. A Godly and growing Pastor by the name of Frank Guglielmo. Dont get me wrong, we had our differences and still do, but I could not be happier with the blessing that that Church provided to me and my family, simply because the Pastor Believed God at his word and preached it faithfully.
It is a local and not unreasonable representative of the Church type identified as Philadelphia.
Beloved, if this is not the sort of Church you are looking for, if you are looking for the bells and wistles, if you are looking for the periferals like; a good Sunday School Program / A good YOUTH Group / A good age group so your sons can find wives, and daughters can find husbands / A good social justice focus / A church that teaches ONLY prophecy / A Church that NEVER teaches Prophecy etc…
You are looking for periferals and not substance.
You might even be looking for the Laodicean Church type…one that will scratch you where you are itching.
That is the BROADWAY CHURCH.
Philadelphia is not.
Jesus Has The Key
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
“The Key of David” is a phrase found only one other time in the Bible, in Isaiah 22 and it is worth turning there to give some consideration for a moment as we paralles what is written of here in Revelation 3.
Isaiah 22:20–23
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was the most trusted and faithful servant of the King, King Hezekiah. He was set as governor over the household of Hezekiah at one of the most tentative times of the history of Judah.
The Assyrian invaders have already taken over the Northern Kingdom of Israel and captured and taken away the ten tribes. Now, there is no more Northern Kingdom.
Now they come to the Southern Kingdom of Judah and threaten to do to them as they did to the North. Eliakim would be the most trusted servant of the King, to receive the message of the Assyrians report it, first to Hezekiah and then to Isaiah the prophet (See 2 Kings 18:18).
Turn to 2 Kings 18:37 as we trace the account for a moment.
2 Kings 18:37–19:5
37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
This now is that servant of the King to whom is given “the Key of the house of David“.
Eliakim was over the household of the King, he was free to come and go as he pleased, for the King had full confidence that his servant would attend to his will.
Jesus, in Revelation 3 and in writing to the Church of Philadelphia, is drawing a perfect parallel as “the King of kings” who is “Holy” and “True“, who ALONE has the Key of David” and who ALONE can do what no man can UNDO; who “openeth, and no man shuteth; and shuteth and no man openeth“.
Beloved the faithful Church of Philadelphia had the blessing of the Lord of lords and King of kings upon it, BECAUSE IT FOLLOWED AFTER THE DIRECT WILL OF THEIR KING.
After the Reformation Churches, there came people who beleived with all their hearts that the word of God is true. They understood that IF THE BIBLE IS PERFEVCLTY TRUE, then they would attend with all diligence the to the calling of the Lord jesus Christ to share the word of God to all people and to attend to the work of God for the blessing of all people.
These were the years of REVIVAL around the world.
These were the times of D.L. Moody, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, of Hudson Taylor, of William Carrey, of George Muller, of Adonirum Judson, of the young and faithful David Brainerd and a mutitude of others whose names we do not know, but who will receive NEW NAMES because they have walked through the OPEN DOOR, Jesus set for them and have KEPT HIS WORD and NOT DENIED HIS NAME.
Imagine beloved if you truly beleived the words of the Lord!
What might come of your life that will be praised for ever by those who are the beneficiaries of your faithfullness?
All that Eliakim did was do the faithful bidding of the King, he brought the message he was told to obtain to the prophet Isaiah, and the most dangerous time of the City of Judah was averted.
He was given the Key of David, and all that he did was blessed by the King, for he was faithful.
So too it shall be to those who do the will of The King of kings, who has the Key of David to give to whom he wills.
Jesus Sets The Door
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Philadelphia was not a large City like some of those we had spoken of earlier, its population would not have been much greater than that of Sunbury during the time of this letter.
Like Pergamos and Sardis, and several other cities, it too was devastated by the Earthquake in 17AD, and due to the volcanic area in which it was situated, suffered ongoing aftershocks and small earthquakes on a regular[1] basis.
The ancient historian Strabo wrote, in a.d. 20.
‘Beyond the Lydians are the Mysians and the city of Philadelphia, full of earthquakes, for the walls never cease being cracked, and different parts of the city are constantly suffering damage. That is why the actual town has few inhabitants, but the majority live as farmers in the countryside, as they have fertile land. But one is surprised even at the few, that they are so fond of the place when they have such insecure dwellings.[2]
It was constantly kept on its toes and as a result continued to send out missionaries to preach the Gospel, never quite knowing when their time will be concluded. Being located as an effectual Gateway City historically, it had a “Open Door” and seemed motivated NOT to stay at home and to use it at every opportunity.
The City of Philadelphia developed a postal route that enabled communications throughout the region for one purpose, to bring about the new Greek culture after Alexander.
Sir William Ramsay identifies it as a Missionary City from the beginning.
“The intention of its founder (Philedelphia) was to make it a centre of the Græco-Asiatic civilisation and a means of spreading the Greek language and manners in the eastern parts of Lydia and in Phrygia. It was a missionary city from the beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the realm, the apostle of Hellenism in an Oriental land.[1][3]”
As a result, the Lidian language, which was the prevailing language for many hundreds of years, was all but extinct before the first century AD.
Imagine for a moment as we transfer that understanding to the missionary zeal of the Church period identified as Philadelphian.
So faithful were the believers and so trusting in their King, that they changed the very culture of the world they lived in toward the Lord during the revivals of the 17th to early 20thcentury.
What we think today as perverse, was not uncommon during the medieval years.
As an example; Public Sex in the United Kingdom was a frequent occurrence until finally curtailed by the pricking conscience of the people. Orphans were not uncommon as a result, but orhanages were not common until the faith and faithfulness of a single man brought about such relief in Bristol England.
In the few years of his life, God set an ‘Open Door’ for George Muller. He determined that he would never share a prayer point of concern to any person bu the Lord and trust that God would provide.
The accounts of his life were noted down and plentiful, as George Muller document all the wonderful works the Lord had done, through him. The “Open Door” was simple enough, “pray and I will answer”.
And answer God did.
Muller cared for over 10,000 Orphans in his lifetime.
Established 112 Schools of Christian Education, with 120,000 students attending during his lifetime.
Muller had a salary of 55 pounds per year, yet was able to pray for and received and distributed no less that 1,381,000 pounds (aprox 113 Million pounds in todays currency).
By the time of his death, he printed and had distributed 285,407 full Bibles, 1,459,506 new testaments and 244,531 Gospel tracts in twenty different languages, around the world.
The funds he collected supported numerous missionaries around the world, Hudson Taylor being the most prominent, and a work that continues to this day.
This “Open Door” he trusted in implicitly and never borrowed nor solicited a single farthing of donation from anyone other than the Lord in prayer.
George Muller desired to be perfectly transparent to all who gave to the work, insisting on sending receipts for all gifts no matter how small and having the giving individuals not destroy the receipts until they see the amounts faithfully recorded in the annual report he would have distributed.
George Muller died at the age of 92 years in 1898. He was a part of the Church of Philadelphia.
Has God now CLOSED the door for those members of the Philadelphian Church type?
Is 126 years too large a gap to bridge for those whose trust is ONLY to do his work his way?
At the tender age of 71 years, George Muller went on a missionary journey that spans 17 years, every continent, and over 200,000 miles, concluding when he was 88 years of age.
His funeral is reported to have been attended by 10,000 people, 1,500 of whom were children from the Orphanages he established.
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Is it the TIMES that makes the difference, or is it the faithfulness of the man or woman in the TIMES to whom Jesus sets the door?
Jesus Keeps The Diligent
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
That those who Love the Lord and desire to do his will, as those of the church of Philadelphia, have before them an OPEN DOOR, set for them by Christ, gives to each of us the inescapable feeling of having his favour.
In his Autobiography and after receiving from the Lord “exeedingly abundanlty above all he could ask or think”, George Muller wrote;
“This blessing filled me with inexplicable delight. He had given me the full answer to my thousands of prayers during the [past] 1,195 days.”[4]
Its this particular knowledge that we gain from the Lord when trials and afflictions even come our way, that we cannot help but know that HE KEEPS THE DILIGENT.
Jesus KEEPS, he protects, he watches over and removes us from any evil he does not wish for us to endure.
This is exactly what we find in this text before us, but even more so.
The passage has long been understood to be an example of the Rapture of the Church in the book of Revelation. Indeed, there are no other more clear examples in Revelation than this for the CHURCH.
Here we have the CHURCH represented as being KEPT from a very peculiar time, Revelation 12:5 however speaks of a “man child” that was “caught up unto God, and to his throne“.
Revelation 12:1–2
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered…..
Revelation 12:5
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Yes indeed this too is a “Rapture”, but not of a Church, of a ‘man child‘, and the context tells us who that ‘man child‘ is. It is he “who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron“, a clear representation of Christ.
While our passage in Revelation 3:10 is by IMPLICATION, here in Revelation 12:5 it is by WORD. The word “Caught up” is the very word from which we obtain the Latin word “Rapture” (Harpatzo, in the Greek).
The one is to be KEPT from a specific time that is “to try them that dwell upon the earth“, the other is to be “caught up …to his throne“.
These are two different events, describing two different persons; one yet future, (those kept “from the hour of temptation“), and one past, (the man-child that the woman brought forth that “was caught up unto God, and to his throne“) (Rev 12:5).
Lets break this down further so that we can learn to read logically of what is before us.
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation
Daily life is filled with trials and temptations, tribulations and difficulties, nothing unique about it, nothing that should stand apart in reference to time than any other time.
I also will keep thee from the hour…
What separates this passage from that which is the norm is an ‘hour’ separated from any other hour. It’s a time period distinct, one that stands apart from others.
Many commentators look to this verse and attempt to link it to the ‘everyday’. But that denies the simple syntax of the words, the words clearly refer to a specific period of time, a distinct period of time, the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world
If this passage referred to the ongoing continuous day to day life of testing and trials, why the need to add a short and temporary time reference? And to what end is the specific encouragement?
The Lord also gives an EXCLUSIVITY in the text at the begining of the verse, he gives exclusivity and REASON saying;
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation
The world has rejected the Word of his patience, their sin and wickedness will “wax worse and worse” (2 Tim 3:13), but those who have KEPT the word of his patience’ will be rewarded by being KEPT” “from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
The phrase “dwell upon the earth” also cant be belittled, it is STATED AS A DISTINCTION.
Those addressed are kept “FROM” and not kept “THROUGH”. A similar phrase is given in the Old Testament. Turn to Isaiah 26 (If the Rapture could ever be seen in the Old Testament, this is the passage)
Isaiah 26:20–21
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 Thess 5:9 makes it abundantly clear that the Church has not been “appointed…to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”.
This “Indignation“, this punishment of “the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity“, this “hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth”, Is the hour those who have ‘kept the word of his patience’ shall be kept from!
It is a distinct time of history yet future, an hour separated from ANY other hour as UNIQUE and that it why it is identified in such a way.
Beloved the Lord keeps the Diligent. Those who have trusted him, those to whom he has set an OPEN DOOR, he also retains and keeps, blesses and protects. Your life is in his hands and YOU will NOT depart from this life OUTSIDE of his will.
Jesus Names The Faithful
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
It was Attalus II Philadelphus, the King of Pergamos that named the City of Philadelphia. He was the Son of Attalus I and Queen Apollonis and became Co Ruler of the throne of the Attalid Kingdom along side his ailing brother Eumenes, whom he loved.
He named the City after his brothers death, refering to it as literally “The City of him who loves his brother”.
The city was thereby Given a Name.
and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God
We know the City as the City of Brotherly Love and it is of great interest to us that after the region had been taken over by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400’s, its name was changed to Ala-shahir, known as “the fair City” and otherwise known literally as “The City of God”.
We spoke before of being given a NEW Name.
We spoke of names given as having meaning and purpose, they are identifiers of who we are and how we lived, so it is with Philadelphia.
They are a summary of our BEING, our character, our nature, how we lived, how we loved.
“Nabal” was a fool, he lived as a fool and died as a fool and was thus named The Fool in 1 Sam 25.
“Noah” was the Comforter of the remnant of the earth, he provided rest and comfort to those few souls saved THROUGH the wrath of God at that unique time. And so was apltly named.
Noahs Grandfather was named “Methuselah“, who died in the very year the flood of waters came upon the earth. He was the Oldest man in the Bible, but was named prophetically of that which would come upon the earth. Methuselah means “whose death shall bring”.
When Moses (drawn of water), spoke to God through the burning bush he asked by what name he should be presented to the people of God.
The people of God had been in Egypt now some 400 years, all the gods of Egypt had names, each name identified the character of the god, all the gods broken down into their specific benefit.
And so Moses asks God by what name he ought to be presented to the people that they may KNOW Moses was in the very presence of THEIR GOD.
“Exodus 3:14 “I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.“
When the Virgin named Mary, was spoken of 700 years before she was conceived of the Holy Ghost to bring forth a son, he would be named Immanuel (God with us).
The people, who saw a great light, had little idea that in the presence of Christ they had GOD WITH THEM.
Jesus (Saviour)
Christ (Messiah, Deliverer)
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)
and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 … and his name is called The Word of God[5] (Rev 19:12-13)
You will one day be known by a new name, but not until you KNOW this name!
ONLY when you come to know this name, will Jesus Name The Faithful.
And those names alone shall endure for all eternity!
[1] [1] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting, (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Livonia, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Dove Booksellers, 2001), 156. (Citing Strabo 13.4.10 = p. 628)
[2] [1]
[3] [1] W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1904), 391–392.
[4] The Autobiography of George Müller (Springdale, Pennsylvania: Whitaker House, 1984), ISBN 0-88368-159-5, p198.
{$NOTE_LABEL} The Holy Bible: King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (1995). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., p. Re 19:12–13.
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